We’re officially in the final month of the regular season. That sure went fast, didn’t it?
The Milwaukee Brewers have established themselves as the best team in baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs trailing closely behind. The American League, meanwhile, has never been more wide open and who advances – or even represents them in the World Series – is anyone’s guess.
But that’s exactly what we’re here to do. Here’s five predictions for the remainder of the 2026 season.
The Padres advance to the World Series
There were questions at the trade deadline about why AJ Preller and the Padres bought at the deadline rather than selling relievers Mason Miller and/or Adrian Morejon. My follow-up: have you seen how Preller operates? If he smells the playoffs, he’ll add, and that’s exactly what he did in acquiring Robbie Ray and Casey Mize while keeping the bullpen intact.
The Padres, as of Sept. 1, have the third and final wild card spot. Making a deep postseason run, let alone getting to the World Series, will be difficult. But the Padres have the star power and the high-end bullpen, plus additional starting pitching depth, to make it happen.
A contract extension or two crosses the finish line
I would not be surprised in the slightest if some extensions happened between now and the end of the regular season, and especially in the early part of the offseason. This is usually a quiet time for extensions since teams and players like to avoid the distraction of negotiating in-season. The looming lockout, however, can and will change that thinking for some.
With the Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on Dec. 1, players will want financial certainty throughout the lockout. That could mean players bound for free agency sign early extensions. It could also mean that prospects, or players early in their major-league careers, could do long-term contracts.
The Phillies win the National League East
Right now, the Phillies are four games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, and I think they ultimately surpass them.
Both teams are hot. In their last 10 games, the Braves are 7-3 while the Phillies are 8-2, winners of five consecutive games and a MLB-best 21-7 in August. Their schedule down the stretch is a gauntlet, featuring series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Braves, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.
Seven of those games come against the Braves, with four being in Philadelphia starting on Sept. 4. That series very well may determine who wins the division.
The Orioles secure an AL wild card spot
The Orioles traded Adley Rutschman and Taylor Ward at the deadline … and have improved to the point where they are only 0.5 games out of a wild card spot, prompting them to add Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the New York Mets.
If you’d have told me on August 3 that would happen, I’d have said you were crazy. And considering the sell-off at the deadline, the Orioles may have even said the same thing.
Alas, here we are. I’m buying what the Orioles are doing. And in the most wide-open American League that I’ve seen in 10+ years of covering baseball, I have the Orioles defying the odds and beating out the Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers for the final wild card spot.
The Rays represent the American League in the World Series
As noted above, there are still a LOT of teams still vying for a postseason spot in the American League, and it’s as unpredictable as it has ever been.
But the East is in a prime position to have one of its teams represent the American League in the World Series … and I ultimately believe it’ll be the Rays, who have the best record AL (82-55) and have been consistently excellent throughout the 2026 season. And it’ll allow Junior Caminero to showcase himself once again on a national stage and show why he’s not only a future MVP candidate, but a player who has a $400+ million payday awaiting him at some point in his career.
Padres vs. Rays. That’s what I’m calling.
Add us as a preferred source on Google